Realizations
by thirdculturekid12
Summary: My first EVER fanfic, please judge accordingly  that is, not too harshly .  This story is based on the Blue Dragon TV show; specifically, prior viewing of it is recommended.  JiroxKluke
1. Chapter 1: Musings

Chapter 1: Musings

****AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter heavily refers back to episodes 13 through 15, therefore viewing these episodes prior to reading this chapter is recommended****

It was dusk, and the sun had just begun to set. From where he stood, hidden in the shadow of a building, Jiro watched as Shu sat atop a boulder continuing to stare out blindly at the landscape, lost in his thoughts. _He's been there all day_, Jiro thought scathingly. Not that he could blame Shu completely; disgusted as he was with Shu's self-pitying behavior, Jiro's own thoughts had been in a snarl as of late.

After the Grankingdom forces set by Lord Nene had decimated his village and killed all of its inhabitants, including his parents and his sister, Jiro, the sole survivor, had vowed to avenge them, no matter the cost. Since that day, his solitary goal had become to defeat Lord Nene, an evil dictator bent on world domination who cared nothing for the countless villages he destroyed in the process.

Yet as he watched Shu's back, which was turned to him, Jiro was reminded of the reason he was even where he was in the first place.

_Kluke_, he sighed mentally. With shame, Jiro remembered how after months of rigorous training and preparation, when he had finally come face to face with Lord Nene, he had failed spectacularly in defeating the tyrant. It was only through a stroke of luck, by which Kluke had unleashed her Phoenix shadow for the first time, that Jiro and his travelling companions had been saved. _Even so_, Jiro thought in frustration, _Kluke is lying in a coma right now. But I can't believe she was able to survive the magnitude of Nene's attack_, he marveled,_ let alone transport us all to safety so soon after releasing her shadow!_ Jiro had a fleeting flashback of Shu's disastrous first release of his shadow, Blue Dragon. _Such poor control_, he thought with a smirk. But his amusement faded away quickly as he was reminded of the very real possibility Kluke might never wake up from her deep sleep.

He shook his head, trying to chase away the thought. _I don't want to even consider that idea_.

Clenching his hands, Jiro thought back to his confrontation with Zola earlier during the day. _She seemed so cold,_ he thought angrily, And s_he's so mysterious sometimes, I wonder about her. I still can't believe she let us think we actually stood a chance against Nene! And what could she have meant, questioning my dedication to our quest! Could she really think I now have some new priority other than defeating Nene?_ Kluke's face suddenly came unbidden to his thoughts. _Don't be ridiculous_, he told himself. But his usually disciplined mind didn't seem to feel like cooperating; a memory from the day before that had been plaguing his thoughts for hours now surfaced:

When he and his companions had reached Grankingdom's capital, with Nene's lair in sight, inexplicably, Jiro had been unable to control his bitter emotions. Kluke, with her uncanny skills of observation, had sensed his seething anger, as had Zola, of course. "Jiro, stop. You must learn to stay in control. Don't let your emotion control you," Zola had advised him. Embarrassed, he had gone down to the river, hoping the cold water would help him calm down, when Kluke's sudden appearance startled him. _Oh great_, he had thought dully, _She followed me here_. Straightening up, Jiro had ignored the handkerchief she had offered him, pulling his own from his tunic pocket instead. "Can you wait a minute?" she had called. "What is it?" Jiro had asked dully, impatient to be alone again. "Well, I was thinking about you and your reasons for travelling with Zola and—." Jiro had been shocked she had so easily guessed what could have been bothering him. With his back towards her, he had struggled to contain his surprise and answered her too quickly with more contempt in his voice than was probably polite. "We talked about this. You already know the reason: it's to defeat Nene. It's just that simple." "Yeah…I remember. But don't you think your family is worried about you?" she had persisted. This time Jiro had barely been able to keep himself from flinching as her question struck home. "No." The word sounded heavy, even to him. "Because they were all killed." He had heard her slight intake of breath. "That's right Kluke. Both my parents… and my sister." In a leaden voice, Jiro recounted his village's destruction, and the death of his family. "And it's all because of me. Now my path is simple," he told her, clenching his fists, "either I kill Lord Nene or he kills me. One or the other. I don't care what happens to me. As long as he's defeated, I don't care, Kluke." After a beat of silence, Kluke found her voice. "I see," she said solemly, ducking her head, "I'm sorry for asking." Seeming not to hear her, Jiro continued on. "I've been having dreams of the past. And in them I'm happy. Everything around me is peaceful and quiet, but then suddenly it burns down to the ground, and it feels like I'm in hell," he finished, his voice shaking. "Darn it," he sighed, realizing he'd let his emotions get the best of him again. Swinging around abruptly to face Kluke, suddenly desperate for some reassurance from this girl he barely knew, he asked, "But who cares. They're just dreams, right?" But before she could have answered, they had spotted Grankingdom autobots flying overhead, which had effectively ended that conversation.

Thinking back on it, Jiro could not believe he had shared his story with her. Here was a girl he had met only recently, and not only had he told her about his past, which he rarely did anymore, he'd also gone and shared his most personal dreams with her. _What a ridiculous child she must have thought me. Dreams. What nonsense. I should have known _better, he thought, embarrassed with himself. And yet, another side of him pointed out, she had been concerned enough about him to hear him out, and to come after him and inquire after his well-being in the first place. _But that couldn't possibly mean she cares for me in that way …_

Jiro hurriedly tried to banish the direction his thoughts were taking. _I mean, if any of my other travelling companions knew what had been bothering me I bet they would have been as worried about me too. Besides, I'm sure if they had asked I would have told any of them what I told Kluke, what with the emotional wreck I was at the time_. But even as he thought the words, he knew they were not true. Zola, for all her inspirational strength and experience, honestly frightened him a little; Marumaro was only interested in one thing: females and their assets; Bouquet was too airheaded and irritatingly silly for him to ever consider confiding in her, and Shu… Jiro snorted. There was no way he would ever tell that boy anything. Especially not when he was already constantly needing to prove to himself and everyone else that he was not weaker than that imbecile. Jiro was secretly almost glad Shu was unable to use Blue Dragon's power effectively. At least with his and Minotaur's experience, Jiro still carried an edge over Shu. Focusing his thoughts again, Jiro sighed. _Yes, I suppose Kluke really was the only one I would have told anything to. But that doesn't mean anything. I was just feeling emotional at the time. I mean, she's more like… a sister to me. Right?_

_Oh sure_, another part of him whispered, _like when you were trapped in that energy-draining capsule by General Schabo. I'm sure the way you felt when you heard her call out your name was just the reaction a brother would have, right?_

Jiro shut his eyes tight. He couldn't take this train of thought anymore.

"Okay," he told himself, speaking aloud for the first time in hours, "Focus. Remember what it is you've been working towards: defeating Nene. It's about time you got yourself together and start thinking about the situation at hand. And that begins with training. You can't afford any more weakness the next time you encounter Nene. And you _will_ encounter him again. And _beat_ him." Glancing up at the shadowy outline of the boy sitting up ahead, Jiro smiled grimly. "At least I'll have a punch bag to take all this wasted emotion out on. Besides, I think it's about time Shu stopped moping around."

****This is my first ever fanfic/ short-story, so I would REALLY appreciate REVIEWS! Tell me what you think (that is, anything I've written that doesn't make sense, any plot development ideas, etc).****


	2. Chapter 2: Awakening

Chapter 2: Awakening

****AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter is based heavily on episode 15, but after this chapter the story diverges completely from the TV show plot. NO copyright infringement intended!** **

"My best friend. What a mess."

_It's all my fault. I couldn't protect her. I can't believe I didn't discourage Kluke from leaving our village to travel with me. I should have known she would have been safer at home. If only I'd really insisted I'd be fine, I bet she wouldn't have come along… or be in a coma right now, for that matter!_

Shu couldn't stem the flow of accusations his hindsight was so generously showing him. Each revelation of the disasters his stupidity had caused was like a physical blow to him. Yet bitterly he acknowledged that he would take a thousand such blows if it would be enough to bring Kluke back.

Shu laughed to himself, without humor. _On the bright side at least there's no way I could feel more miserable than I do now_.

Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching the boulder on which he sat.

"Oh. So _there_ you are, " a scornful voice he'd know anywhere addressed him.

"Oh. Jiro." _Or maybe not. _

"Well, I was just checking in to see if you're done feeling sorry for yourself."

Shu's hackles immediately went up. "What?"

"Not that I'm surprised by your reaction," Jiro continued, folding his arms. "You're so predictable."

"Stop picking on me!" Shu growled.

"How mature of you. You are truly pathetic! You think you were ready to stand up to Nene? Well just like the rest of us, you were outmatched."

"Shut your mouth!" Shu yelled furiously.

"So sad really. If you had only been more powerful, maybe Kluke wouldn't be in a coma now," Jiro added with a smirk, continuing to needle Shu on. It was almost a physical relief to him to be able to pin the blame of Kluke's injury on someone, especially when that someone was Shu.

"I said SHUT UP!" Shu screamed, drawing back his fist to throw a punch at Jiro's face, who easily sidestepped the blow and tripped him.

Looking down at the slightly younger boy groaning on the ground, Jiro couldn't help the small jolt of pleasure he felt at seeing his rival downed so easily.

"Get the point yet? You act impulsively. As a result, your attack's ineffective," he sneered.

Looking up, Shu stared at Jiro, aghast. _What a dirty hypocrite! How like him to blame everyone but himself_!

"Well you're no better than me!"

Jiro flinched.

"Even though you act like you've got it together, when it came down to it, you weren't the least bit effective either!"

Shu charged at Jiro, grappling with him.

"Oh yeah?" Jiro demanded. Shu's remark had struck a nerve, yet another reminder to him of how weak he was.

Shu finally managed to break through Jiro's guard, punching the older boy squarely on his cheek, with enough force to knock Jiro over.

"Don't jump on my case," Shu retorted, "not when you were just as outmatched as me!"

"And maybe if we trained harder," he continued, grabbing Jiro by the collar, "Kluke wouldn't be lying there unconscious on that bed!" Shu landed another punch on the other boy's cheek for emphasis.

"If you'd quit moping around, maybe we could train," Jiro answered angrily. "That's what I was coming out here to tell you."

"What would be the _point_?" Shu demanded, punching him again. "The guy's too strong! We lost, don't you get it?"

"You lost maybe, but not me." Jiro replied.

"What?" Shu asked in disbelief.

Seeing his chance, Jiro landed a solid punch to Shu's gut, knocking the other boy off him.

Getting up, he glared down at Shu. "Here's a flash for you: I'm still alive! And as long as I'm alive, I'm not giving up hope. And I'll come at him again, no matter how many takes before that monster is defeated! I'll never stop until I have my revenge."

Realizing how serious Jiro was, Shu's angry expression smoothed out slightly. "Okay, I get it."

"So pull yourself together. I don't want someone around me who isn't committed to complete victory." Jiro snapped. "It makes me want to throw up," he tacked on as an afterthought, adding insult to injury.

"Are you saying I'm a quitter?" Shu demanded.

The two boys were on their feet, glaring daggers at each other, when suddenly there was a loud boom, not far from where they stood.

Rushing to the edge of the cliff they looked down to see a hooded figure rapidly approaching, closely pursued by three Grankingdom shadow-wielding autobots.

"What's going on?" Shu cried.

"I don't know!" Jiro replied, just as confused.

Shu squinted his eyes against the falling darkness. "It's looks like they've got somebody trapped," he said, pointing down into the canyon before them.

Before either Shu or Jiro could decide what to do, they spotted Zola jump down before the autobots and pull the stranger to safety. Stepping back out to face the autobots, she summoned her shadow, Killer Bat. Using no attack but her sword and Killer Bat's, Zola dispatched the three autobots with ease.

Rushing to the spot the stranger sat, cowering, Shu asked, "Are you all right, mister?

The mysterious stranger pulled down his hood and said, "You're late! Those metallic assassins almost took me out!"

Shu and Jiro could recognize that hairstyle and imperious voice anywhere.

Jiro groaned to himself. "_You_ again."

"Old man Legolas," Shu said aloud in wonder.

* * *

Back in the abandoned home, standing with Zola and the others, listening to Legolas rant on and on about the all the dangers he had gone through, and how unthankful the lot of them were, Jiro had to control the twitching of his fingers that yearned to punch the burly officer's smug face. He tried to tune the man out. As his mind wandered, Jiro struggled not to look behind him to the corner in which Kluke lay. _Focus_, he told himself, trying to keep his misery at bay, _Concentrate_.

"…this is the thanks I get?... I was sent here with important information on assignment from the _**king**_," Legolas whined, stressing the word, "…so I came immediately, in spite of the fact that my unit urgently needed me on the battlefield to protect our homeland!"

Finally Zola interrupted, with a slight edge to her voice. "Where _is_ this 'important information'?"

"In a safe place," Legolas told her with a rather self-satisfied smile. He then proceeded to reach down his throat to pull out his written report, eliciting revolted groans from everyone watching.

"…so ungrateful," Legolas mumbled under his breath.

Anxious to hear the news, Jiro struggled to control the frustration in his voice, as he sighed, "Go ahead with your presentation."

He listened attentively as Legolas explained how the spy named Salinas had stolen the Extra Seven in Jibrall Castle, only to be killed by an unknown assailant just outside the city walls. His expression changed to one of incredulous disgust as Legolas told them the trivial clues that had been discovered about the assassin's identity.

"…but after relentlessly cross-referencing all the reports, we _can_ say that she is likely to be wearing some kind of perfume, that smells like some kind of flower." Legolas finished proudly.

Mouth still agape in disbelief, Jiro couldn't help himself from asking, "Is that _all_?"

"Is that all? What more could you ask?" Legolas replied angrily.

"Some _real_ information!" Shu piped in before Jiro could answer. "You gave us a lot of _nothing!_" he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at the man.

As Legolas puffed up in anger and proceeded to complain about how it had taken Jibrall's best men two weeks to discover _all_ that information, Jiro rolled his eyes.

He listened impassively as Zola cut in to explain to the others what the significance of the theft of the Extra Seven was, and even less interestedly in Legolas' remark that the information contained in the Extra Seven would apply to anyone descended from the original Seven shadow-wielders, telling them how to enhance their power.

Noticing Shu and the others' confused expressions, Jiro asked, "You understand what he's saying?"

It was clear none of them did. Zola helped them out, stating point blank, "All of us here are direct descendants of those seven warriors."

Bouquet gasped. "You're saying we're…,"

"…as powerful as those warriors?" Shu finished.

"I'm saying we have the potential to be. It's our birthright. I believe we can stop Nene, but we need those extra powers to do so. And the only way to achieve that is to recover the Extra Seven." Zola paused and turned to look at Jiro, then each of the others in turn. "It's a dangerous mission. I won't force you to go against your will."

She noticed the slight hardening around Shu's eyes. "What do you think Shu? Will you do it?" she asked.

Jiro glanced at Shu from the corner of his eyes, curious to see what he'd say.

Shu curled hand into a fist. "You bet I will. This creep has declared war on everybody living in the world! There's no choice. Before he can do any more damage, we have to bring him down. There's nobody else we can rely on to stop this guy. We can do it if we're the descendants of those seven warriors!"

Despite himself, Jiro smiled in approval at the boy's remark.

"No matter what it takes, I'm going to get strong enough to defeat him!" Shu declared. Grudgingly, Jiro's appreciation for the boy grew, hearing his own sentiments echoed in the Shu's words.

"What about you?" Zola asked, looking at Jiro.

He smiled knowingly. "I'm with this team to the end," he vowed.

Marumaro and Bouquet enthusiastically pledged themselves to the cause as well.

"Good." Zola said in satisfaction.

"But wait! What about Kluke?" Bouquet asked softly.

They all turned to look at the girl lying motionlessly beneath the blankets.

The silence in the air was tangible, as if a cloud of despair was hovering over them.

Then suddenly: "AAAaaarrghh! WHY?" Shu yelled at the top of his lungs.

Rushing to Kluke's side, he shook her. "Wake up Kluke! Can you hear us? It's because of you that everyone on the team was saved!"

Jiro flinched. Tired from the added effort it took that day of appearing collected and unfazed in front of the others, Jiro let his pride go for once, recognizing the truth in Shu's words. _It really was all because of her. The rest of us were helpless against Nene. Including __myself_, he finally admitted to himself with shame. _Who knew Kluke was so powerful? She can't _**not**_ wake up_, he thought furiously. _We need her! _

Shu continued to yell, not seeming to notice the tears spilling down his cheeks. "We know now what we have to do to fight Nene, and you have to be a part of it! Come on Kluke! Wake up! You can't leave us like this right in the middle of a mission! We need you! You're the glue that holds everything together!"

A part of Jiro wanted to reprimand the boy for shaking Kluke around so roughly, but a greater part of him understood the desperation that fueled Shu's actions. Jiro almost wished that _he_ was the one sitting where Shu was, trying to revive Kluke with his own desperate pleas. _But I'm in no position to do that._ Fleetingly, he was envious of the other boy for having such a close friendship with Kluke. His jealousy was replaced with chagrin as he realized how difficult it must be for Shu to see Kluke so unresponsive this way. _I, more than anyone should know better_.

Jiro was startled when Shu suddenly got to his feet, ran over to their bags, and began to rummage through them.

_What is that boy looking for?_

Shu turned around, a pan and metal ladle in hand. _Huh?_

Raising his arms above his head, Shu began to bang the spoon against the pan. "Wake up Kluke! You can't sleep now, do you hear me? There's work to be done! Come on, open your eyes!" After a minute, he stopped banging the pan and lowered his arms in defeat.

Jiro didn't know what to say. Crazy as the boy's idea was, he himself was just about ready to try anything to revive Kluke.

"Kluke," he whispered, "Come on, please."

Jiro watched as Shu let his tears flow freely now, audible sobs racking his body. Jiro felt his own eyes burn, and quickly blinked away the moisture that began to collect there.

"I'm sorry Kluke. I tried. I don't know what else to do!" Shu continued, utterly oblivious to the others staring at him.

Then:

"Who was banging all the pots and pans?" came a weary voice.

_Kluke!_ Jiro's heart jumped in his chest. _She's awake!_

"She's going to be okay!" Bouquet rejoiced. Jiro couldn't help the broad smile that came to his lips at her words.

"Kluke! Oh, I'm so happy to see you!" Shu exclaimed happily, reaching out to hug her.

BAM. Jiro watched with interest as Shu flew up against the wall. _Hmm. Good hang time. Wow. Kluke _is_ strong, even without her shadow_, he mused.

"Don't try to cheat on your fiancé!" Kluke yelled.

Jiro chuckled to himself as Shu groaned in pain. His smile grew impossibly wider, and impulsively he said, "We're all happy you're back , Kluke."

"Thanks. Glad to be here." Kluke replied, seeming surprised, a blush staining her cheeks.

Not noticing, Jiro looked around and grinned in satisfaction. "It looks like the team's back. And more determined than ever."

****This is my first ever fanfic/ short-story, so I would REALLY appreciate REVIEWS! Tell me what you think (that is, anything I've written that doesn't make sense, any plot development ideas, etc).****


	3. Chapter 3: New Grounds

Chapter 3: New Grounds

****AUTHOR'S NOTE: As always, NO copyright infringement intended!****

It felt good to be on the road again. Jiro closed his eyes and breathed in the crisp morning air outside, feeling refreshed in both body and purpose. He strode freely, with bold steps, enjoying the crunching sound of the gravel road beneath his feet.

Jiro's eyes flew open and his step faltered as his hands bumped another one, softer and smaller than his.

"Oops. Sorry, Jiro." Kluke said with a slight blush. Her heart thumped erratically, and she fought to control it.

"That's okay, Kluke," he said, giving her a rare smile.

Somehow he'd fallen to the back of their small group with her, which was odd, as his customary position was usually up front. He liked being able to see things on the road as they came up. It made him feel prepared.

But today, despite his eagerness to hurry along their mission, Jiro had decided to hang back a little, knowing Kluke was still feeling weak and having a hard time recovering, no matter how brave a front she was putting up. _Just a precaution. A brotherly gesture_, he had told himself.

"Hey Jiro?" came Kluke's voice, breaking through his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"You seem happy." It was a question and a statement of fact all in one.

"I am."

Kluke waited for him to continue.

"I'm just… glad we're on our way," he said finally.

Still silent, Kluke lifted an eyebrow questioningly.

"And… that we, umm, have an achievable plan in mind," Jiro added.

Certain the assassin in possession of the Extra Seven was working for Grankingdom, Zola had decided they should head to a nearby abandoned Grankingdom outpost. She was certain that with after rebooting and hacking into the station's computer-system, with Kluke's technological expertise, they would be able to uncover more information about the assassin's identity.

"Right," Kluke persisted. "And…?"

_God, she knows me too well_. _When did that happen?_

Realizing she wasn't going to let it go, Jiro gave in slightly.

"It's just for the first time in a long time, I feel hopeful again."

If Kluke wondered why he felt that way, she didn't press the question. Which Jiro appreciated; there was no way he was going to tell her how much having her awake and back on the team meant to him. It had not only refreshed him, filled him with hope to know that she now had a powerful shadow at her command, he also found her very presence on the team soothing. _I mean, it's like what Shu said last night; Kluke is "the glue" that holds us all together_, he thought.

They walked in companionable silence for a while, until at last, Zola called a halt.

"All right everyone, it's time for lunch."

At Marumaro and Bouquet's delighted exclamations at this news, Kluke smiled. But it was hearing Jiro's exasperated sigh that brought her to laugh out loud.

Glancing at Marumaro happily chomping away at his sandwich, Jiro rolled his eyes. _At least some things never change_.

**_Later that day…_**

"Okay. We're here."

Legolas, Shu, Bouquet, Marumaro, Bouquet, Kluke, and Jiro peered through the thicket of trees. Jiro's eyes strained to find the abandoned Grankingdom outpost.

He saw nothing.

Turning back around, he raised an eyebrow.

"Zola, where is it? Are you sure we've come to the right place?"

She nodded confidently.

"That's what this map says. I stole it a while back from the Grankingdom commander we fought in Shu and Kluke's village." She pulled it out. Pointing with her index finger, she indicated, "The places in red show Grankingdom's major military centers, the places in green show the smaller army outposts, and the places in gray show the outposts that are no longer operational."

Ever curious, Marumaro peeked over Zola's shoulder.

"What do the places with 'X's mean? Ooh! Is there some sort of treasure there?" he asked enthusiastically.

"No, Marumaro. Those are the towns that Grankingdom forces have already destroyed," Zola answered gravely.

Carefully, Kluke shot a sideways look at Jiro. For a moment, his eyes were clouded with anger and pain, his jaw clenched tight, but then he blinked and forced a smooth expression onto his face. Still, she heard him grind his teeth together. _Poor Jiro. And he was feeling so happy earlier today._

Determined to draw him out of his miserable thoughts, Kluke touched his arm lightly.

Jiro started and flinched away from the contact. It felt as though he had been stung by a jolt of electricity.

Seeing it had just been Kluke, he mumbled, "Sorry."

She didn't answer.

Looking up, Jiro noticed her guilty and slightly hurt expression, and berated himself. _You idiot, Jiro. She was just trying to help_.

Impulsively, he reached out and squeezed her hand briefly but reassuringly, deliberately ignoring the unmistakable tingling that ran through his fingers this time.

"I'm fine," he told her, his smile coming out a bit forced.

Kluke gave him a shaky smile in return, a blush as pink as her dress staining her cheeks.

"Jiro, " Zola addressed him. "I believe you were wondering about the outpost?" Her eyes bored into his intently, searching his expression.

_What does she see?_ He stifled his urge to swallow.

"Yes. So we know the outpost exists, but how do we find it?"

Zola's lips quirked. "Why, we use our shadows, of course," she replied.

Not five minutes later, thanks to their shadows' brute strength, they managed to clear a path through the thick trees obscuring their way, to discover the elusive Grankingdom outpost.

"Finally!" Shu exclaimed. "Honestly, I thought we'd never find it!"

"Shhh," Zola replied. "Be on your guard, just in case. We want to be prepared for anything. Who knows if this station has any defense mechanisms still in operation?"

Bouquet shivered.

"You never said anything about defense mechanisms before!" she cried shrilly, reaching quickly for Shu, who grimaced.

"Hush."

As they approached the small building , Legolas ran a critical eye over its rusting metal door hinges, dirty glass windows, and the wild-looking green vines that wrapped all the way around the outside of the outpost.

"I don't like the feel of this place," he said uneasily. "It seems haunted or something."

"Yeah, you're right, Maro," Marumaro agreed in a loud whisper.

Zola silenced them both with a hard look.

Pausing a moment before the heavy door, Zola kicked it open, sword at the ready.

There was no sound except the creaking protest of corroded metal as the door swung open. Pulling out a match, Zola lit a torch and walked in, the others filing in behind her.

The air in the room was stuffy and floor was dusty, a testament to the lack of recent activity.

Zola relaxed slightly, and let her pack drop from her shoulders. The others followed her example.

"All right. Let's get to work. Kluke?" she gestured to the girl.

"Right."

Kluke strode forward, bringing out her travel-size toolbox. Opening the control panel on one of the walls, she began to tinker with the system.

"Kluke, the trick is to reboot the system so we can access the computer, but to try and do it without any attracting the notice of any operational Grankindom stations."

"No problem!"

Jiro shook his head in disbelief. Technology. Something that he'd always considered himself relatively adept at, until he'd met Kluke. She was a genius when it came to machines, whether it meant rewiring a Grankingdom robot for information (which she had already done once before) or flying a Mechat. _She's intelligent_, he thought admiringly, despite himself. Glancing at the black-haired boy to his left sneezing furiously, eyes watering from the dust, Jiro gave a habitual smirk. _That's more than I can say for some of us_.

Fifteen minutes later, they'd hacked into the Grankingdom network and were proceeding to search for clues as to the identity of the Grandkingdom thief they were pursuing.

"Now," Zola asked them all, "what do we know?"

"The thief is a female," Shu declared.

"She has blue eyes?" Bouquet contributed uncertainly.

"She smells nice…" Marumaro added, his tone dreamy.

Jiro snorted.

"She's deadly," Kluke said quietly.

Silence met her words.

"Exactly," Zola told her. "And from what Legolas has told us about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the spy, Salinas, I'd say her stealth lies in her ability to wield a shadow."

"What?" Legolas broke in.

"Well, you said Salinas found with a large wound through his heart, accompanied by a number of smaller round gashes on his back. And that the injuries were unlike any knife wounds your experts had ever seen. The images of said injuries that were included in your hard-copy report confirm my suspicions as well. So, I'm certain whoever she is, this woman has a shadow. One with multiple legs and sharp pincer-like points."

Legolas looked disgruntled, but didn't argue.

"All right," Kluke said, her fingers racing over the computer's keyboard, "Grankingdom agent, female, blue eyes, has a shadow." She typed the words into the search box on the screen. "Scanning…"

After a long moment of anticipation, she sighed unhappily.

"Your search returned no results," she read off the screen.

Marumaro groaned.

"Hmm. Maybe we should broaden our scope," Zola remarked, undaunted. "Search for any activity surrounding the Extra Seven. Any research done on them, any plans to steal them from Jibrall, etc."

"Got it."

They all waited in silence, the clacking of Kluke's slim fingers on the ancient keyboard the only sound echoing in the dimly lit room.

Finally, she threw her hands up in the air.

"Argh! Nothing! Absolutely nothing in the Grankingdom server! It's no use, Zola. What else can we search?"

Zola's thin shoulders slumped noticeably as Legolas voiced all their disappointment in a roar of frustration.

"WAIT!" Jiro cried. "Could you be quiet for a sec?" he asked patiently, glancing to the officer.

"Why you little…!"

"Never mind," he said, cutting Legolas off. "Kluke, have you been searching the server at-large?"

She nodded slowly.

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you think you could hack into the confidential military files? I'm thinking maybe the ones having to do with Logi's Independent Flying Squadron. We know Nene gave him command of the more powerful shadow-wielders," Jiro said with a rueful twist to his mouth. "Once there, we search using all the same keywords we tried before, but maybe this time they'll give us some answers."

Zola smacked her forehead lightly.

"Now why didn't I think of that?"

Kluke smiled. "Good thinking, Jiro." She turned back to the computer and rapidly began punching the keys again.

Jiro felt his heart jump involuntarily beneath his chest as she spoke his name. It wasn't an altogether unpleasant sensation. That is, until he sensed Zola's eyes on him, and began feeling self-conscious again. _What's up with her?_ he thought in frustration.

"AHA!" Kluke yelled in triumph a few seconds later.

Everyone except for Zola jumped where they stood.

"Jeez Kluke, you almost gave me a heart attack!" Shu complained.

Kluke turned back around to face them, eyes shining.

"You were right, Jiro! I found her. Look!" she said gesturing to the computer screen. They all crowded around her.

"Wow, Maro. Good job, Maro!" Marumaro told her, impressed.

"So her name is Delphinium. And... hmm, what an interesting shadow." Zola leaned closer to inspect it.

"It looks like some sort of three-headed hydra, but with the legs of a beetle," Jiro said, nodding.

"Weird," Shu breathed.

"Ew... that's disgusting," Bouquet squealed, inching away from the screen.

"Hmph. A shadow. Ridiculous…,"they all heard Legolas grumble audibly under his breath.

"Hey, well, wasn't it a shadow that saved you from those autobots yesterday?" Shu asked slyly, albeit loudly.

Jiro smirked as he took in Legolas' indignant expression.

"Now you listen to me, kid. I am a most trusted envoy of His Royal Majesty, the king of Jibrall, have trained under the most noble Knight Master Conrad, and I tell you, I —"

"Need to know how to take a joke?"

At this point Marumaro had collapsed into a laughing fit on the floor and everyone else was smiling broadly.

Ignoring Legolas' spluttering attempts to defend himself, Zola straightened up. "All right. Kluke, let's print out all this woman's background information and her known recent activities. We'll start looking from there."

****This is my first ever fanfic/ short-story, so I would REALLY appreciate REVIEWS! Tell me what you think (that is, anything I've written that doesn't make sense, any plot development ideas, etc).****


	4. Chapter 4: Facing Facts

Chapter 4: Facing Facts

****AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry it's been so long, guys! Thank you for your patience. I probably won't be updating this too often, but don't worry, I haven't stopped working on it altogether. Also, I'll probably move this into the Blue Dragon section under Games soon, so just a heads up. AND, as always with this story, NO copyright infringement intended!****

Twilight found Jiro sitting in the small clearing Zola had located near the abandoned Grankingdom outpost, a pencil and notebook in his lap. Marumaro and Shu had gone off to collect firewood, and Bouquet had announced to everyone in earshot that she was absolutely sick of being dirty and desperately needed to take a bath, leading her to march off dramatically to a nearby stream. Not that anyone had paid much notice. Zola and Legolas stood just beyond the edge of the clearing, arguing in hushed whispers steadily increasing in volume, about their next course of action. _Or more likely Legolas thinks he's found a flaw in Zola's logic and wants to force her to take his irrational advice_, thought Jiro_._

Jiro, for his part, was supposed to be taking inventory of their travelling packs, but from the corner of his eye he watched Kluke prepare their dinner. Shu often complained about the quality of Kluke's cooking, but Jiro had never noticed anything wrong with it. Mildly spicy perhaps, but he liked his food that way. It reminded him of home and his mother's fondness for red chili paste...

_Stupid guy's just way too picky_, he thought to distract himself.

With chagrin, he remembered he too had once criticized Kluke for making meals that were too fancy, telling her that they travelled light and fast, and that since they never knew when they would be attacked, they had no time to waste on unnecessary extravagance.

"What do you mean? Anything worth doing is worth doing the best you can, right?" she had replied, shocked.

Knowing Kluke better now, Jiro realized she had taken so much care with her cooking not only because it was in her nature to want to make people happy, but because without a shadow at the time, she had hated feeling like a burden to the team.

At that moment however, he noticed a slight crease in her brow, a sure sign something was bothering her. Rather than ask her straight out what was on her mind, which he would do if it were Shu, Jiro thought distracting her might work better.

"Anything I can do to help, Kluke?" He gestured at the cooking pot.

Jolted out of her thoughts, she glanced at him, surprised at his uncharacteristic concern, but she smiled. "No, but thanks for offering, Jiro."

"Of course… smells good. What are you making?" he asked, determined to keep her talking.

"Oh, nothing special. It's just a beef stew I learned how to make from my mom. It was her specialty…" Her voice turned sad as she trailed off.

Silence reigned for a second, before Jiro broke it.

"It sounds like you miss her," he said, his voice somewhat strained. It had been a long time since he had wanted or felt it necessary to inquire after anyone's personal life, and he found himself out of practice.

"I do. A lot. I've never been away from home this long befo—," she cut herself off abruptly, realizing the sensitive turn their conversation had taken. _Home… and family. Poor Jiro. I don't want to cause him any more emotional discomfort than what he's sure to be feeling already after what's transpired recently_. "I'm sorry," she said, abashed. "We don't have to talk about this. I'd understand if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine," he told her. _I have to be in control of my emotions if I want to be able to cheer her up,_ he told himself firmly,_ not break down again and have her comfort me. That wouldn't be fair to her_.

After a beat of hesitation he admitted, "You know that time we were by the river, right before we breached Nene's fortress? Well, when I told you what was bothering me, it was… well, it brought me some relief." _Not much_, his inner voice commented bitterly, but he quickly shut it up. "Perhaps it would be the same for you."

If Kluke was surprised by his confession, she didn't show it. Stirring the cooking pot absentmindedly, she nodded, her expression thoughtful. "Well if you're sure..." She glanced at him, as if expecting him to take back his consent.

Jiro's expression remained impassive, neither encouraging, nor forbidding.

Kluke swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. Collecting herself she continued. "Well… like I said earlier, this is the first time I've been away from home for this long. I mean, even though I'm old enough now to be going off on my own, I've never really ventured that far from Talta Village because… see, I live—lived—", she corrected herself, "with my mom and she's never had the best of health." She felt his unspoken question, and after a short hesitation, she looked down at her hands and revealed, "My father's gone."

"Gone?" Jiro repeated without thinking.

A second later he grimaced internally at his insensitivity but Kluke didn't seem to have minded.

"Yes. I mean, well, in the sense that he wasn't around while I was growing up. In fact, he and my mom were never married, and they had me while they were still quite young."

Kluke's cheeks burned in shame at this confession.

"All my mom ever told me about him was that he was from Talta and she was from another village a little whiles away, and that they'd met one day while she'd been visiting his village. And that he'd lived with us for a couple years after I was born. She said we'd been happy all together, but then that… certain circumstances had changed so that he was no longer able to stay with us." Kluke paused.

Lowering her voice, she continued, "For the longest time, I thought she meant their relationship had gone sour, so he'd left us… but then I finally found out that wasn't the case. When I asked about it, my mom told me they had loved each other just as much as ever, but that he'd had to go for 'reasons beyond his control'. She never explained more than that. So I've been pondering her words ever since…"

Silent, Jiro watched her expression twist into one of long-held sorrow, unsure of what to say. It suddenly dawned on him that maybe he wasn't the only one who had a troubled past. His whole family might be gone now, but at least when they were alive they had been as loving and supportive as could be, always there for him.

"I suppose no one's life is perfect, is it?" he thought out loud to himself softly.

Kluke was still staring intently at her hands, as if looking for an answer hidden in the creases of her palms. After a moment however, she continued, her expression slowly brightening.

"But even when everyone else in Talta judged us, calling my mom an outsider, and none of the other girls my age wanted anything to do with me, Shu befriended me. He was the first friend I ever had. And the best."

Jiro twitched at this piece of news, seemingly in irritation, but he didn't interrupt.

"Later I met his three other friends. Guys. I think you've seen them… do you remember the day we met in Talta Village? The day Shu was trying to find a Knight Master?"

"Right. Wasn't that the day Shu tried to take a bat to anyone who looked remotely capable of defending themselves?"

"Yeah. And you've put yourself into that category I see," Kluke remarked wryly.

Jiro laughed. It was a carefree sound, without any hint of the tension or reserve Kluke was so used to hearing in his voice, and it was the first time Kluke could ever remember hearing it. In her peripheral vision, she thought she saw Zola's head turn slightly towards them.

And just as quickly as it arrived, Jiro's amusement faded. "I'm not though," he told her quietly, his face a mask of emotion once more. Try as he might for her sake, he couldn't repress the bitterness he felt.

"Not what?" she asked, confused.

"Not capable of defending myself. Or anyone else for that matter."

"Jiro…"

"No, it's true! I'm too weak. And that's why I wasn't able to defeat Nene, why I wasn't able to protect my village… why I wasn't able to save my family."

The words came out slightly strangled, as he tried and failed to suppress the pain in his voice.

Distantly he realized he was talking to Kluke about his past again. _What is it about this girl? Why does she have to be so easy to talk to? I just can't seem to keep my mouth shut around her. _

He laughed once, without humor this time. "I guess Shu was right. I act like I've got it together, but I really don't. In the end, I'm just a weakling."

Kluke felt like smacking herself on the forehead in annoyance. _God, Shu! Really, sometimes you just say the dumbest things at the wrong time!_

For a long, tense moment, neither of them spoke. Then, without warning, Kluke got up from beside the cooking pot and walked over to sit on the log beside Jiro.

"Jiro."

He avoided her eyes.

"Jiro, look at me!" she said forcefully.

"What?" he replied, turning towards her, angry and embarrassed at his emotional outburst.

"It wasn't your fault."

Jiro froze. Kluke's olive green eyes locked onto his own stormy blue ones.

"What did you say to me?"

He made a sudden movement to get up, intent on moving as far away from her and her dangerous ideas as possible, but she grabbed his arm and held on gently but firmly. She felt him shaking with repressed emotion.

"No, listen to me! It wasn't your fault. Nene, or your village, or your family. All _six _of us were useless in our fight against Nene, Zola included, and you know how strong she is. It wasn't anyone's fault, and especially not yours alone. Your village and your family… how can you even think that was your fault? You say you want vengeance for all Nene took away from you, and yet you still hold yourself partly to blame. He's _evil_, Jiro, plain and simple. And he's also extremely powerful… so as much as you might disagree, I don't know if there was anything you could have done to stop the destruction he's wreaked upon your life," she told him gently.

Jiro snapped. "How would _you_ know that? You weren't even there when he tore my village apart," he accused harshly.

Kluke was silent for a moment. Then: "Maybe not, but I do know a little bit about weakness… not having the power to protect the ones you care about. All this time we've been travelling, up till two days ago, I felt like I was a hindrance to the team, some powerless little girl needing to be protected. I've been watching you, Zola, Shu, and Marumaro fight with your shadows, unable to release my own, stuck helplessly on the sidelines."

Jiro noted her distinct failure to mention Bouquet and Hippo, but said nothing.

"I know it's probably nothing compared to what your situation must have been like, but I do know no matter how brave or how strong they might be, no single person without a shadow can go up against an entire Grankingdom battalion and expect to win. And that's an incontrovertible fact."

Jiro clenched his fists. "But if only I'd been stronger back then, I probably could have released Minotaur for the first time," he argued. "Then I could have protected my village, and everyone who died would still be around today."

"Jiro, don't you think it's about time you stopped blaming yourself? If you think about it, even if you had been able to release Minotaur, would you have had enough control over your power to have had him follow your instructions? I'm not comparing you to Shu, by any means," she added hurriedly, noticing the suddenly blazing contempt in his eyes.

"In any case," Kluke continued softly, "it does no good to try and explain why things happened the way they did. Sometimes there is no good explanation. But, if you have to blame someone, blame Nene, and _only_ Nene. After all, he's a horrible, sadistic creature, with a selfish, unachievable goal. He cares nothing for the people he hurts in the process of getting his way. None of what happened was your fault. Do you understand me?"

Jiro remained silent as Kluke's final words struck home. Slowly, he processed all she had said. _Not… my fault?_

It was hard to comprehend the idea, and even harder to believe her. Since the event, the only coping mechanism that seemed to dull the pain of his village and family's passing was his letting his anger towards Nene consume him. It was the force that drove him to move on, at least physically, with his life. Yet at the same time, over the years, he'd subconsciously built up layer upon layer of resentment and self-blame. Layers of the most impenetrable stone. Unyielding, and impossible to break.

Jiro opened his mouth, thinking to say something, but the words wouldn't come. Kluke didn't seem to be waiting for an answer though.

Releasing her grip on his arm, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezed in unspoken support. Then reaching up with her other hand, she carefully brushed away the side-bangs that had fallen onto his forehead, covering his eyes. She pretended to not see the tiny, single drop that had formed at the corner of his right eye.

Jiro gasped quietly to himself at the feel of her fingers. It hadn't been since the death of his family that anyone had touched him simply to comfort him, what with the almost tangible and just as forbidding emotional walls he put up around himself. Even Zola didn't dare to. True, it wasn't like he'd gone completely without physical contact; he'd received blows in shadow battles, but that was a far cry from the deliberate consolation Kluke was offering him now. And he hadn't realized how much he'd missed such affection. Jiro resisted the inexplicable urge to lean into the soft hand now gently stroking his hair.

Looking up at her from under his lashes, Jiro gave Kluke a tentative attempt at a smile. It was barely more than an upturn of his lips, but her answering one was dazzling.

"Better?" she asked.

"Somewhat, I suppose," he replied uncertainly. And even though her words couldn't assuage all the guilt and feelings of failure he still felt, it was true they still brought him a small amount of comfort.

"Good." The spell broken, Kluke removed her hands from his shoulder and hair, moving away. Immediately Jiro missed the contact. Her touch had felt nice and relaxed him a bit.

He sighed.

Kluke raised an eyebrow questioningly but didn't press him when he wasn't forthcoming.

"Well, I should get back to taking inventory," he said, straightening up.

"Right." Kluke bit her lip as she ran a critical eye over him, trying to judge his emotional state.

He noticed. "I'm fine, Kluke."

"Never said you weren't _fine_," she drawled as she fluttered her eyelashes at him in an exaggerated fashion.

Jiro glanced at her, surprised. Her expression remained serious enough, but her bright eyes danced playfully.

Without thinking, he gave her a small but genuine smile.

She returned it and got up to return to the cooking pot.

Turning back towards his work, Jiro remarked that had never before realized how startlingly green Kluke's eyes were.

****This is my first ever fanfic/ short-story, so I would REALLY appreciate REVIEWS! Tell me what you think (that is, anything I've written that doesn't make sense, any plot development ideas, etc).****


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